Leveraging Your Space to Inspire Tomorrow’s Talent

2. ATTRACT+RETAIN TALENT

Introduction

It’s all about the people. As tasks become more automated, it is the creativity and innovative thinking that distinguishes successful companies, and the competition for the best talent is fierce.

The workplace is just one component, but an important one, that helps attract potential employees, and it is integral to the strategy of retaining them once hired. Keys to a successful strategy include:

Create Community

Providing a sense of community in the workplace helps drive individual productivity, wellbeing and ultimately an organization’s success.

The nature of our work has changed considerably and flexible teams meet spontaneously to move projects forward. Creating a sense of community by offering varying communal settings for people to gather to eat, to meet, to learn or play ranks number one of the top five ways to improve employee engagement.

Forward thinking organizations are re-evaluating their workspace. They are providing practices and resources supporting well-being and a sense of community in order to reduce employee turnover, increase teamwork, and strengthen their company’s vision and values. In today’s workplace design, there is an effort to cluster these activities together to create a central hub, or a common area that can satisfy a number of various sized business and social activities.

The loss of a sense of community correlates to stress, absenteeism, high employee turnover, and reduced quality control. Those consistently rated as the “Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune Magazine provide additional perks, such as childcare, on site life coaching and health care, yoga classes, and a place to play. Fidelity Investments, for example, regenerates their sense of community by offering Project Joy workshops, encouraging ways to create a joyful culture and customer experience.

Support Social Interaction

In the movement toward open offices, increased social interaction between employees has evolved from a natural byproduct to a sought-after commodity. A strong social culture in the workplace can help spark new ideas, increase employee engagement, and create a sense of wellbeing. Spaces that reinforce social interaction are fundamental mechanisms for enhancing this culture.

The workplace as a recruitment tool: shared spaces currently offered by companies (Steelcase 360 report: engagement and the global workplace)

Cafés and break rooms:

Corporate cafes are being designed in such a way to accommodate a wide variety of activities above and beyond the typical lunch break. Today’s companies are recognizing the importance of providing alternative social settings for work to take place.

Spaces MPA clients find most appealing:

The majority of workers who utilize game rooms in the workplace were significantly less stressed, happier at work, believed they were more productive, and preferred working for the company with the game room. “Video gaming actually helped me do my job better.”(Steelcase Workcafe Ideabook)

Employee attitudes toward company:

For many, the idea of these unique amenities has become a defining aspect of their company culture. While advancements in technology has made the practice of mobile work easier and thus more common, there is still a voice of concern over how this might limit employee social interaction. Which begs the question: what would make you want to come into the office? A strong social culture of an organization is not only one of the top selling points for new talent, but is also an important tool to increase creativity and productivity within the workplace. Spaces reinforcing social interaction are fundamental mechanisms for enhancing this culture.

ZIPCAR // BOSTON, MA: The purpose of Zipcar’s relocation was to unify all departments, re-imagining their office space as one community.

Promote Wellness

Typical business operating costs:

WHY PROMOTE WELLNESS? Because 80% of business operating costs are spent on people. Because 80% of our time is spent indoors.

“As more Fortune 500 firms fight to attract and retain talented workers, work environment has become a key selling point. Millennials now account for the majority of the American workforce, and they are increasingly looking for workplaces that reflect their values. While companies responded to the move for planet-friendly offices by promoting LEED-certified buildings over the past decade, their focus has turned to how their offices can promote wellness for their employees. Beyond attracting talented workers, studies have shown that healthy workers perform better and are more productive. And as health care costs continue to rise, companies are facing higher insurance costs and individuals are facing higher deductibles and co-payments. That’s led companies to invest in ways to keep their employees from getting sick in the first place, using incentives and small changes to help increase everyday wellness.”

~Fortune Magazine, “This is the Future: Workplaces that Make You Healthier”

In response to this movement, the WELL Building Certification program focuses on seven areas to create buildings that promote verifiable wellness strategies for occupants:

As just one example, Genzyme’s employee sick time in their new green headquarters is 5% lower than for all of other Massachusetts facilities combined. (Case studies by the GSA Office of Government-wide Policy)

In the US, over 50% of employers larger than 50 people have instituted some measure of wellness programs for their employees. (Workplace Wellness Programs Study – Rand Health, US Dept of Labor, US Dept of Health & Human Services)

MPA client examples of wellness in the workplace:

FORRESTER RESEARCH // CAMBRIDGE, MA: A typical office building’s fire stairs are not a pleasant space, resulting in elevator dependency even when traveling one floor. At Forrester, MPA elevated the fire stair into an important part of the collaborative nature of the building, inspiring employees to walk from floor to floor.

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC // MARLBOROUGH, MA: Most people spend 80% of their day inside. Offering an inviting place to sit outside to get some fresh air and sunlight during the work day has made this an extremely desirable office location.

THE PREDICTIVE INDEX // WALTHAM, MA: Many people spend more of their waking hours at the office than they do at home. The ability to take a break, relax or even play ping pong for a few minutes contributes a great deal to a feeling of wellbeing as well as to productivity.

CIMPRESS | VISTAPRINT // WALTHAM, MA: Many larger employers are providing full service fitness centers. It is much more likely for employees to be able to find time to work out when they don’t have to travel to a different place during their busy days.

PARTNERS HEALTHCARE // BOSTON, MA: A benefit of having an extremely large office floor plate is the ability to create a measured walking track. In this project, MPA created a continuous quarter mile walk around the perimeter of the building, providing exercise and natural daylight at the same time.